Typically, for an embedded software system, reliability of operation is critical, especially in the field usage. Any failures or aberrations from the expected behavior (exceptions) need to be reported and handled. This is also relevant in the development and testing phases of systems so that their behavior can be closely monitored, and any improvements made to improve the system reliability are ensured when deployed. Additionally, when special events happen, for example, battery level goes low, in a mobile device, while in use, they need to be reported to the user. In embedded systems, number of such events happening could be more than a few, and they generally require careful management. Further, during development and debugging phases of the products, exception records can provide valuable information regarding the sources of these exceptions, which can facilitate in reducing the time needed for debugging.
Currently, there are no standardized guidelines for how various parts of the software system should generate and report such exceptions and events in embedded software systems. Given that such systems typically comprise of a multitude of layers and components, they pose a considerable challenge to maintain consistency in how these exceptions and events are identified, reported, logged and handled throughout the multitude of layers of software stack. This becomes even more of a concern as the multitude of layers and components may be developed by different teams or developers. In the absence of a unified way to manage these exceptions and events, the reliability of the embedded software systems usually gets limited to the integrator's expertise and attention. Also, in the absence of a pre-defined way to manage these exceptions or events, it is more likely that some of these go unhandled, thus resulting in compromising the reliability of the embedded software system.
The systems and methods disclosed herein may be implemented in any means for achieving various aspects. Other features will be apparent from the accompanying drawings and from the detailed description that follow.